The Lord of Secrets
'''Before joining the Council''' '''Early life''' Born on the 4th of The Claw of Storm, in [[Goldshire]], a small village from the region of [[Anralog]], Ecaterin's life was bound to be interesting from the moment of his birth. Unbeknownst to his father, his mother was a [[changeling]] in disguise. When his son was born with white skin, white hair and white eyes, the farmer was horrified and thought it was a message from the Gods, a way to be punished. Disgusted by it all, he denied the child was ever his and instructed his wife to kill him. However, Ecaterin's mother took him and entrusted him to her people. Growing up amongst others like him, the young changeling didn't know about how people viewed the likes of him. As his father refused to accept him as his child, he remained nameless. The changeling people allowed him to take up any name he wished, however, he needed time to discover who he was. Learning to slowly master his racial abilities, Ecaterin grew up building around multiple personas to use, but, in the end, settled to only one which came to bear the name of his choice: Ecaterin Enc'Tuis. It was then when he was given two options: leave his people and embrace his new persona or remain among the changelings for as long as he saw fit. He chose the latter, spending his next three years honing his skills. Proficient in the art of subterfuge, he learned to manipulate the flow of conversation as to get the most while giving as little as possible. Other than that he trained in the arts of combat and found ways to combine the skills he had. By the time he was eighteen, Ecaterin had already become a potentially skilled assassin, even though he had yet to find his first victim. '''Return to the world''' One night, Ecaterin had what he could only describe as a prophetic dream. Seeing a young man on the run from a band of bounty hunters, he saw him, helping that man. Realizing it was time for him to go, he returned to Goldshire, embracing the new identity he built for himself. Putting to good use the skills he got, he eventually came into possession of enough money to build a front for his network of spies. Slowly, the organization grew and, the [[Assembly of the Serpent]] became one of the most popular sell-sword association in Anralog. Using the contracts he got, he gathered as much information as he could and a few selected people got to see behind the curtains, where Ecaterin was pulling strings for intricate plans and machinations. '''Meeting the Lord of War''' ''Beginnings '' Realizing he had nothing to do than wait, Ecaterin spent most of time honing his skills while running his organization. Those years were haunted by visions and dreams of the same man. The images became clearer and some of them referred to what was most likely the future of the two, fighting together. Others, Ecaterin discerned, were present events, appearing to him. It was in one of those dreams when he first saw the name of [[Dengar]]. Puling all the strings he could, he found the sorcerer and approached him under a different identity. When the two met, the sorcerer presented him with a picture and also a name: [[The Lord of War|Alfred Aistul]]. The changeling deceived Dengar and didn't deliver on his promise to kill Alfred or bring him back to his hideout alive. Instead, Ecaterin killed all the other men on the warrior's tail and helped him run and hide. Although strange at first, their friendship slowly but surely developed. Relaying on the odd synergy between Alfred's sense of honor and loyalty and Ecaterin's mischievous ways, they spent a lot of time together, even if urgent business often required Ecaterin to leave his friend alone. Diverting a significant amount of resources to keep Alfred hidden and Dengar on a goose chase, the changeling attracted the attention of a powerful foe. [[Darren Roseberg]], a bounty hunter who once took it upon himself to hunt the werewolf. Suspecting the involvement of a third party in order to hinder his efforts, Roseberg renounced the contract he took from Dengar and, instead, started digging into who was helping him. ''An almost fatal mistake'' Ecaterin, feeling the danger, couldn't resist getting involved into the game of wits this new figure seemed to be able to provide. While also keeping Aistul hidden, Enc'Tuis chose to test his skills against one of the land's most famous trackers. Managing to stay ahead of his opponent almost every time, he eventually grew arrogant, being certain that there was no way for him to lose. However, he was proven wrong. Wanting to meet the bounty hunter in person, he refused to take the precaution of approaching him using a different persona. Playing right into Darren's plan, Ecaterin quickly came to the realization that he lost his advantage after their meeting, however he couldn't understand the true consequences of his mistake. It eventually became obvious that, because of him, Alfred's location has been compromised. Barely making it in time to warn him and help him flee Anralog, he regretted his decision and explained to his friend what had he done. Even if he was not mad, Alfred made Ecaterin promise that he would not seek him again and wait for him to reach out. Understanding the need for such a promise, he agreed and, true to his word, he didn't seek out Alfred during his years in [[Kytbrolon]]. '''Going underground''' Still upset about his foolishness, Ecaterin went into some sort of hiding. The world didn't see his face for years, while the changeling worked on a different identity for himself. One to take over the former one. A few people still knew about his whereabouts, even if he tried to distance himself from them as well. Running his organization from the shadows, he made sure that Dengar was being watched at all times for the sake of his friend. During those years he dedicated a considerable amount of time to understanding and researching both the meaning of his visions and ways to increase his magic potential. One night, almost three years later since his second disappearance from the world, news about the abduction of [[Ella Naïlo|Ella]] reached his ears. Deciding it was time he returned, he embarked on a journey to Dengar's hideout, hoping to help Alfred. Torn between the promise he made and the desire to aid his friend, he found a loophole: he was not searching the warrior. He merely set out to save his lover. Despite his effort, the information he received was wrong. He arrived at the sorcerer's den too late. What he found there was a bloodbath. The only recognizable body was that of the elven woman. He buried her body and, upon the realization that Alfred may be lost to him for real, he returned to Anralog where he solidified his foothold. It was during this period that [[Lana Snowbow]] joined his organization. Not giving any importance to the event, he treated it as he would any normal new addition to his ranks. However, determined and ambitious, Lana quickly rose through the ranks. Intrigued by her unusually fast progress, Ecaterin started to doubt the competence of his men. However, when he met her for the first time, using a different face than the one everyone knew, he was surprised to see that she immediately saw through his mask. Fascinated by her intuitive abilities and her apparent determination, he formed a bond with her. That bond slowly evolved into something more and, to everyone's surprise, the two of them fell in love. The love, proved, in the end, to be short lived. Ecaterin's mistake came back to haunt him, with Darren launching a full on assault on his organization's headquarters. Able to hold them off for a while, his men eventually started to lose ground and were forced to retreat. However, a small group had to remain behind to cover for the others. Lana volunteered immediately, and, although Ecaterin refused to let her go, she disobeyed his wish and went anyway. Most of the organization's officers were dead or missing but, after the battle, the few that escaped with Ecaterin returned to look for survivors. They found none and, although her body was never recovered, Lana was presumed dead. Torn apart by her death and the loss of his organization, Ecaterin left everything as it was and none of his people heard from him after his departure. '''After joining the Council''' '''Early years''' Hearing about the events that had transpired, Alfred figured that, no matter how grave the situation, Ecaterin would never break all contacts he had with the world. Through a lot of work, most of which required using all that he learned from his friend, Alfred managed to get a message to the changeling, explaining why he has returned and why is he seeking him out, despite the dangers for both of them. When this message reached Ecatering, he was not surprised, for he had already heard of the self appointed Empress, [[Kamilia]] and her bodyguard, Alfred Aistul. Although he agreed with her ideology that order must be restored to both Anralog and the world, he didn't seek her out, realizing that it would mean to, indirectly seek Alfred and break his promise. He accepted their proposition and emerged into the world once again. However, the identity associated with the name of Ecaterin was no more. On 9th of the Highsun, 1397, The Lord of Secret had joined the table and set out with two goals in mind: rebuild his organization and find out the whereabouts of [[The Lady of Peace|Amarys]]. Besides following the will of The Empress, he also plotted his revenge against Darren and Dengar for their attempts on his and Alfred's life and for the deaths of Ella and Lana. After the [[The Lady of Peace|Lady of Peace]] was recruited he started to keep tabs on all the other Lords. When Anralog was finally unified under the rule of Kamilia and, supposedly, the Council, she asked Ecaterin to become the head of the [[Secret Intelligence Organization]]. Glad to be given to chance to also have a public face, he dug up the persona for Ecaterin and thus began his juggling between the two identities. For all except the Lords and a few trusted men, Ecaterin and the Lord of Secrets were two different people. '''Preparing for the Conquest''' While the other Lords all went about their own businesses, he remained in the capital city of Anralog in order to ensure things were going smoothly. When Alfred left with [[The Lady of Sorcery|Amelie]], although not upset, he was concerned about the impact she would have on his friend. Choosing not to reveal to him the details of her personal life, he let him find out for himself and dedicated his efforts to a considerable amount of tasks: keeping the kingdom in order, finding the link between his visions and the [[Abyss]], gathering information on the other kingdoms and kings, stopping assassin's and infiltrators from reaching Kamilia and looking for [[Shards of Divinity]]. It was during those years when mostly, only him and The Empress were in the capital that the two grew closer. He was intrigued about how hard was she to read and how there was no way to manipulate or find out things about her past. In 1406, after Alfred's return to the [[Izalith]], the two spent a lot of time around the castle with Kamilia. In 1409, when news about the [[Morningstar]] being captured by the College of Mages in [[Empodio]] reached his ears, he hastely informed Kamilia about it and she called all the lords back. He found the newly appointed [[Lord of Shadows]], despisable and untrustworthy, as his friend did. However, he kept his thoughts for himself and tried to get along with him for the sake of Kamilia. He, instead, chose to seek an apprentice of his own and found a peculiar candidate among his ranks. He trained her as best as he could and sent her out in [[Yarnam]] as a spy. He then left, under special orders from the Empress, along with Alfred, to seek and recruit new people into the the [[Militia]] which was left to its own. During those travels he met [[Leo]], in 1461 and, although he took a liking in the young man, he agreed to let Alfred take him as his soldier. '''During the Campaign''' '''Act I''' ''The Empodio Chapter'' After the general meeting of the Council, to which all the apprentices where asked to come, Ecaterin left to Empodio on his own, seeking to aid the apprentices in any way he could, fearing that the Lord of Shadows might have, somehow, intervened in their quest. Finding out too late that he had asked Malareth to replace the Morningstar with a conduit to all the other planes, he tried to get a message to Izalith, but the magic barrier around the town prevented him from doing so. After the Abyss manifested itself he knew there was only a matter of time until the others would arrive so he prepared for battle. ''The Yarnam Chapter'' After the [[battle of Empodio]], he gave new orders to his apprentice and returned to Izalith. When Amelie informed him that another shard could be found in Yarnam, he set out to find one of the pieces of the [[Triskelion]]. Entrusting that piece to the lords, back in Anralog, he felt that another portal would open and prepared his men to set camp around the [[Essari Tower]]. Waiting for orders he took final precautions before his departure from the capital and, when his hunch proved right he suspected that the Lord of Shadows had stolen the third piece of the Triskelion and gave it to Malareth. Surprised to find the tower empty and the shard still in place on the altar, he remained in the camp and waited for the portal to reopen. '''Personality and Traits''' ''"That is for me to know and for you to find out." '' — The Lord of Secrets on various ocassions As a changeling male, the apperance of Ecaterin varried a lot during his earlier years of life. However, as time went by and, especially after joining the Lord's Council, he mostly resorted to using only 2 personas. The first one, that of Ecaterin Enc'Tuis was represented as a tall, redheaded man with green eyes. He usually wears a short beard with a mustache. The sides of his head are shaved and filled with scars. Ecaterin usually dresses in nobleman's clothes. The second persona, that of the Lord of Secrets, is depicted as a rogue-like [[Elves|drow elf]] with long, black hair and purple eyes. Smaller in height than Ecaterin, the Lord of Secrets has a well kept look and usually dresses in black or dark-shaded clothes which are, most of the times, accompanied by a long cloak. While both of those personas have some common aspects, as his arrogance, taunting attitude and secretive ways, they seem to be different people. Ecaterin behaves as a noble and is usually charming, well mannered and patient with his peers. The Lord of Secret is prone to losing his temper, is colder towards other people and, at times, his way of acting and talking gives the impression of a silent and deadly person. Little is known about any other alliases or personas the Lord of Shadows might have adopted during the years, but one constant remains between all of them, including his two favorites: his chaotic and unpredictable behavior. '''Relationships''' '''Alfred Aistul''' '''Kamilia''' '''Theys Cialvun''' '''Kara''' '''Power and abilities'''